Edited by Rima Devereaux - A Month with Julian of Norwich

A Month with

Julian of Norwich

Edited by Rima Devereaux

Introduction

Julian of Norwich (13431416) was an anchoress someone set apart for God, living a life of solitary prayer and contemplation in a cell. Because the cell was usually attached to the parish church, an anchoress was involved in the issues of her day. Julian was attached to the church of St Julian in Norwich. We know from The Book of Margery Kempe that she was well known as a spiritual director. She advised many people who came to her, many of them, we can assume from the upheaval of those times, in a lot of pain.

Julians book, the Revelations of Divine Love , from which these extracts are taken, is the first book in English known to have been written by a woman. It is the result of sixteen visions of Christ that she received in May 1373. These conveyed to her Jesus passionate love for us and led her to compare it to a mothers love. Her writings are full of earthy details on the suffering of Jesus, which are rooted in medieval religious imagery, but these details are not gratuitous they always guide us towards Jesus compassion.

Julians spirituality was refreshingly feminine and, characteristically, rejected both the institutional rigidity and the idea of the wrath of God that were common in her day: For two hundred years before Julians birth, the Western Church had been moving towards ever more rigid, hierarchical, male-dominated, confrontational structures, culminating in catastrophic institutional stand-offs. The life of Julian was rooted in the world and in the lives of the people who came to her cells window for advice and she ministers to us in a similar way across the centuries.

A Month with

Julian of Norwich

Morning

I thought I had some awareness of the Passion of Christ, but yet I desired more by the grace of God. I thought I would have liked to be at that time with Mary Magdalene, and with others that loved Christ, and therefore I desired an actual sight through which I might have more knowledge of the physical sufferings of our Saviour and of the compassion of our Lady and of all those who truly loved him and saw his sufferings at that time. For I wanted to be one of them and suffer with him. I never desired any other sight or shewing of God till the soul had departed from the body. The reason for this petition was that after the shewing I would have a more true awareness of the Passion of Christ.

Evening

And being in youth as yet, I thought it great sorrow to die; but for nothing earthly that I wished to live for, nor did I fear any pain: for I trusted in the mercy of God. But I wished to have lived in such a way that I might have loved God better... For I thought all the time that I had lived here so briefly and for so short a time in comparison to that eternal state of blessing... And so I thought: Good Lord, may the ending of my life be to your glory. And I understood by my reason and by my painful suffering that I would die; and I surrendered my will completely to be in accord with Gods will.

Morning

In this moment suddenly I saw the red blood trickle down from under the garland hot and fresh and copious, as it was in the time of his Passion when the garland of thorns was pressed on his blessed head who was both God and human, the same who suffered thus for me. I conceived truly and deeply that it was Christ himself who shewed it to me, without anyone in between.

And in the same shewing suddenly the Trinity filled my heart with utmost joy... For the Trinity is God: God is the Trinity; the Trinity is our Maker and Keeper, the Trinity is our everlasting love and everlasting joy and blessing, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Evening

Also in this he shewed me a little thing, the quantity of an hazelnut, in the palm of my hand; and it was as round as a ball. I looked at it with the eye of my understanding, and thought: What is this? And it was answered generally thus: It is all that is made. I wondered how it might last, for I thought it might suddenly have fallen apart in dust as it was so small. And I was answered in my understanding: It lasts, and ever shall last because God loves it. And so everything owes its existence to the love of God.

Morning

This shewing was made to teach our soul wisely to hold fast to the goodness of God. And in that time the method of our praying was brought to mind: how we tend, through lack of understanding and knowledge of God in his love, to spend too much time on petitioning him. Then saw I truly that it gives more honour to God, and more true delight, that we trustingly pray to him through his goodness and cling to him through his grace, with true confidence and in steadfast love, than if we took all the words that the heart can think. For if we use all these words, it is too little, and not truly worthy of God: but to rely on his goodness is all we need, and there nothing whatsoever is lacking.

Evening

I have not received this shewing because I am good; I am good only in so far as I love God deeply: and if you love God more deeply than I do, this shews you are better than I am. I tell this not to them that are wise, for they know it well; but I tell you that are simple, for ease and comfort: for we are all one in need of such comfort... For if I look only at myself, I am nothing at all; but in the general body I am, I hope, united in love with all my fellow Christians.

Morning

These are two workings that may be seen in this vision: the one is seeking, the other is seeing. The seeking is common something every soul may do with his grace and should be done with the care and teaching of the Holy Church. It is Gods will that we do three things in our seeking: the first is that we seek earnestly and diligently, without sloth, and, as it may be through his grace, without too much weariness and useless gloom. The second is that we follow him steadfastly out of love for him, without grumbling and struggling against him, to our lifes end: for life will always be short. The third is that we trust in him deeply in full assurance of faith.

Evening

Wherefore I need to acknowledge that whatever happens, happens for a reason: for it is our Lord God who causes it all. For at this time the working of creation itself was not shewn, but the working of our Lord God in what he has created: for he is the focal point of everything, and all that happens is due to him. And I was certain he does no sin. And here I saw truly that sin is not something that is done: for in all this sin was not shewn. And I needed no longer to marvel at this, but to watch our Lord, to see what he would shew. And thus, as much as could be understood for the time being, the righteousness of Gods working was shewn to the soul.